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With 31 Votes to 13, Councilors Definitively Approve Self-Declaration Licensing for Works Up to 1,500 m² Without Prior Technical Analysis from the City Hall, Raising Alerts about Urban Risks, Responsibilities of Builders, Land Use Rules, and Oversight of New Works in São Paulo.
On December 10, 2025, the São Paulo City Council definitively approved the project by Mayor Ricardo Nunes that creates self-declaration licensing for works up to 1,500 square meters, allowing the issuance of permits without prior technical analysis from the City Hall for small-scale projects. The change alters how houses, businesses, and lower buildings are authorized in the capital.
By 31 votes to 13, the text was endorsed by councilors after a debate marked by opposition criticism, which classified the proposal as a free-for-all in urban control. Government allies defended the measure as a tool for deregulation and argued that the new model follows experiences already adopted in countries in Europe and Asia.
How the New Self-Declaration Licensing Works
According to the approved project, self-declaration licensing applies to works up to 1,500 m².
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In these cases, the technical responsible parties must submit documentation through the Urbanism and Licensing Secretariat system, Smul, declaring that the project meets all legal requirements and making the necessary fee payments.
With self-declaration, the City Hall system issues approval for the work without a municipal technician conducting a detailed prior analysis of the project, as occurs today even for smaller constructions.
In practice, the initial compliance filter now relies on the accuracy of the information provided by the builders and technical responsible parties, shifting the weight of verification to the later oversight phase.
Arguments from the Government of Ricardo Nunes
Mayor Ricardo Nunes justified the self-declaration licensing as a response to a slow approval process, which in some cases exceeds two months for smaller projects.
The government’s reading is that the processing time represents an obstacle both for the construction market and for housing policies.
The municipal administration also links the measure to the expansion of social housing aimed at low-income populations.
According to the Executive, by reducing bureaucratic steps, the city would be able to accelerate housing projects in areas already anticipated in the urban legislation, without giving up the subsequent responsibility of field oversight.
Opposition Criticisms and Fear of Free-for-All
In the plenary discussion, opposition councilors Luana Alves from PSOL and Renata Falzoni from PSB pointed out that the self-declaration licensing could open loopholes for irregularities, precisely for dispensing with the prior technical analysis by the City Hall.
The parliamentarians dubbed the project a free-for-all and questioned the 1,500 m² limit set in the text.
Renata Falzoni went so far as to argue that if the model was approved, the ceiling should be reduced to 750 m² to restrict the reach of self-declaration.
Councilor Nabil Bonduki from PT reminded that currently, municipal technicians are responsible for authorizing projects, ensuring a specialized verification of plans and implementation conditions.
For him, the removal of this filter increases the risk of design errors, conflicts with zoning, and negative impacts on the urban surroundings.
Oversight, Technical Responsibility, and Urban Risks
One of the central points of contention was oversight. Nabil Bonduki questioned in plenary how the subsequent checking of works licensed by self-declaration will be conducted, recalling that the structure of technical teams in the City Hall is already considered insufficient to monitor all interventions in the city.
Without operational reinforcement, the risk is that the system authorizes more works than oversight can inspect.
The opposition warns that buildings up to 1,500 m² can represent small buildings in already dense neighborhoods, impacting shade, ventilation, vehicle traffic, and pressure on local infrastructure.
In the view of these councilors, the self-declaration licensing shifts the quality control from the public power to the professionals hired by the developers, increasing private responsibility in a scenario of potentially limited oversight.
Defense by Government Allies and the Argument for Deregulation
Among Ricardo Nunes’ allies, councilor Sansão Pereira from Republicanos cited experiences from European and Asian countries to defend the new model.
For him, the self-declaration licensing represents deregulation for the city, simplifying formal steps and reducing direct interference from the public machine in projects that, according to the base, already follow consolidated urban legislation standards.
Government supporters argue that oversight does not cease to exist, but migrates to a logic of later accountability, where irregularities identified during inspections can result in fines, embargoes, and other sanctions.
The opposition’s criticism, however, is that this logic only works if the oversight capacity is increased at the same pace that licensing is accelerated.
Next Steps and Impact on the Construction Sector
As the project has been definitively approved, the text will go to Mayor Ricardo Nunes for sanction, who is likely to confirm the change as he is the author of the proposal.
From the enactment of the new law, companies and engineering and architecture professionals will be able to use self-declaration licensing for works falling within the 1,500 m² limit.
Experts and urban planning organizations are expected to monitor implementation to assess concrete effects on urban fabric, building safety, and compliance with land use and occupancy regulations.
The way the City Hall organizes oversight and holds any offenders accountable will be crucial to determine whether the measure will signify regulatory efficiency or a weakening of urban control.
In your opinion, does self-declaration licensing for works up to 1,500 m² make São Paulo more efficient or more vulnerable to urban risks and irregularities in civil construction?
boa tarde com certeza ficara mais EFICIENTE. OS PROFISSIONAIS NAO AGUENTAM MAIS TANTA DEMORA NA ANLISE E O DEFERIMENTO. SEMPRE MUITO BUROCRATICO E DEMORADO.